002 Cold-hearted Mother_1

Lu Qingyi's gaze lingered on the closed door until she briskly walked over and secured the lock.

She took out the white laptop from her suitcase, perched on the edge of the bed, and her slender fingers danced swiftly over the keys.

"Why are you locking the door in broad daylight?"

Someone rapped on the door, a chilly feminine voice penetrating the barrier, devoid of any emotion.

Lu Qingyi's beautiful eyes narrowed, glancing at the door with disinterest before continuing her typing. The noise at the door was as good as invisible to her.

"Lu Qingyi, come and open this door."

The soft knocking became loud pounding. Yao Meishu's harsh voice bristled with barely concealed fury.

Lu Qingyi's irritation showed in her bunched eyebrows. She jammed headphones into her ears and cranked the laptop's music up to a deafening volume.

Clearly, she had no intention of opening the door.

In this household, besides her brother Lu Jiayi, everyone else disliked her. She knew that her stepfather, Lu Yao, and Yao Meishu openly despised her, and her younger sister Lu Jiayue simply acted inconspicuously.

"Lu Qingyi, what's your problem?"

Yao Meishu stormed in, armfuls of clothes and a key in her hand.

She glared at the girl sitting cross-legged on the bed, typing away undisturbed, and her anger soared.

"What do you want?" Lu Qingyi removed her headphones leisurely, looking up at Yao Meishu with calm eyes.

"These are your sister's new clothes, unworn. Put them on for school tomorrow, and don't embarrass me."

Yao Meishu harshly threw the clothes on Lu Qingyi's bed, her gaze roaming over the girl from head to toe.

Short hair tumbling to her shoulders, lean white t-shirt, jeans, canvas shoes, cold features, and a black earring. Nothing on her suggested the soft and gentle femininity typically found in young girls, instead, she echoed a boyish wildness.

The Lu family was influential in Jin City, second only to the Ye family.

What a joke it would be if word got out that Lu Qingyi, her daughter from the wealthy Lu Family, wore unlabeled clothes

"A dress?" Lu Qingyi raised an eyebrow at a pastel pink, sweetly styled dress that Yao Meishu had brought.

Sweet style?

Lu Qingyi laughed, realizing that if she were to put on the dress, she'd be the one embarrassing Yao Meishu.

Wouldn't it be awkward to wear something that didn't suit her?

"What? You've never worn one? The dress isn't cheap, I bet your grandmother would never buy it for you."

Yao Meishu crossed her arms, looking down on Lu Qingyi with contempt in her eyes.

She expressed no sign of affection that a mother would typically show her daughter.

Initially, she wanted to send Lu Qingyi to an orphanage, but her mother insisted on raising her so she reluctantly complied.

Each month she sent funds only sufficient to support Yao Huijuan, purposely excluding Lu Qingyi's share.

"Sometimes, I really doubt if I'm your biological child."

Lu Qingyi looked straight at Yao Meishu, her eyes calm and composed.

She wondered what parents could be so cold-hearted to treat their own child like a stranger.

Ignoring her for years, constantly showing a cold face, and making ironic remarks whenever they met.

"If you weren't my flesh and blood, you wouldn't even be allowed in this house."

Yao Meishu expressed no guilt, instead, contempt brimmed in her eyes as she flicked her newly styled hair back.

"Alright, you don't need to unpack your stuff yet; considering you live at school, you'll still have to pack again."

Yao Meishu glanced at Lu Qingyi's open suitcase, her voice still mellow.

The suitcase was practically empty, save for a few clothes and toiletries. No sign of any make-up products filled the vacant spaces.

Lu Qingyi lowered her brows in silence.

"Lu Qingyi, no one was excited about your birth."

Yao Meishu walked out, but before she opened the door, she shot one last comment backward.

No one was excited for her birth?

Lu Qingyi blinked, her gaze growing slightly bitter.

Ever since she was five years old, she knew her parents and sister disliked her, and only her brother would sneak her some snacks.

Fourteen years had passed, and she thought she had become immune to their scorn and cruel words. Yet, somewhere deep down, she felt a hint of discomfort.

---

Looking at the dresses scattered on her bed, Lu Qingyi scoffed heartlessly, tossing all of them into the trash.

She never forced herself to wear clothes that didn't suit her.

If something was out of her grasp, she wouldn't strive for it either.

After massaging her temples, Lu Qingyi dialed a number on her phone.

"What can I do for you, my dear Qingyi?"

The call was answered quickly; a friendly old voice crackled through the speaker.

"Principal, I won't be coming back."

"What? No, Qingyi, you can't just not come back. I was looking forward to a game of chess with you."

The voice on the phone erupted in surprise, mingling with appeasement.

"I'll be attending high school, and it'll probably take half a year."

Lu Qingyi's gaze darted to an acceptance letter resting on her dressing table and a tiny smile took form on her lips.

She had never attended a regular high school; her sister was supposedly a high achiever, she wanted to see how impressive Lu Jiayue truly was in person and to treat herself to a mini-vacation as well.

"Little princess, you must be joking, right? You of all people attending high school? What will the other kids do? Are you planning to nab the top spot in the college entrance exam? Oh goodness, you ought to give others a chance. It'd be absurd if you joined the mix."

Lun Boyan felt flabbergasted; he rambled on without taking a breath. He knew Lu Qingyi well enough to discern that she rarely joked around. If she voiced something, she meant it and was capable of it.

"Just think of it as a short break."

Lu Qingyi stayed silent for a few seconds before uttering these words mildly.

"What? You're just going to abandon me like this?"

Lun Boyan immediately felt slighted and sprung up from his couch.

"I'm not asking for your permission, just letting you know. Let's leave it at that, I'm hanging up now."

Lu Qingyi ended the call swiftly, leaving Lun Boyan no time to react.

On the other end of the line, Lun Boyan reclined in his chair, grimaced, and threw the phone on the table. He took a moment to massage his greying hair as frustration washed over him.

He heaved a sigh, unable to make sense of Lu Qingyi. To think she wouldn't listen to him, the revered principal of Hardrick.

Lun Boyan was the principal of Hardrick, a prestigious institution and a dream destination for many."

With world-class teaching resources, Hardrick ensured that most of its graduates had successful futures.